A journey to search my soul

This is a blog of my personal collections. The purpose of this blog is to educate myself and public in regards to antiquities especially related to religion and calligraphy. I welcome everyone to input their feedback in this blog which they think would be helpful. I do not watermark the photos in this blog so everyone is free to use them as long as they are not used for illegal and unethical reasons. I appreciate if you could notify me if you plan to use any of the photos here. Enjoy browsing!!

Monday, September 28, 2015

This is a single folio of Quran written in Kufic on vellum. I purchased
this vellum from USA. This Kufic style is
defined by Prof Deroche as B-II i.e " Early Abbasid Scripts". In
reference to " Islamic Codicology", this script is datable to 9th
Century CE. Refer to pg 151 of Alain George's book " The Rise of Islamic Calligraphy" for the explanation.

This leaf probably from Near East was trimmed and laid down on a later sheet of paper with gold and colored margin rules. The writing on one side is visible whereas the other side its almost wiped out probably due to the framing.

From Bonhams's website, similar leaves were sold on Auction 21723, Lot 2 for
£3,750
(AED 26,794)
.
I believe this leaf came from the same Mushaf. See the link :

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

This is my another gold coin from Sultan Alaudin Riayat Shah era. He was the son
of the last Malacca Sultan, Sultan Mahmud Shah who fled from Malacca
after the invasion of Portugese. He became the first ruler of Johor
Empire in 1527CE.he set up his capital at Johor Lama situated on the
Johor river. He promoted foreign trade and was able to attract a fair
amount of commerce. However Johor was captured by Acheh in 1564CE and
became its vassal state until the collapse of the Acheh Empire in
1641CE.

Looking at the Arabic calligraphy used, its quite tricky as the
calligraphy is compressed to fit on the coin face. However it has the
resemblance to Thuluth & Sini. Or probably this is how Malay
calligraphy was derived. I noticed also similar calligraphy was used on
the tombstone ( pic edited from artmelayu.bs) of the same Sultan in
Johor except all vertical alphabets were elongated to fill the column.

As for this coin, there are some errors in the words used.
Notice the Sultan is written ثلطان instead of سلطان
There is also a missing ي in the word Al mu'minin and missing ين in Aladdin
My other coin is in below linkAntique Mas Johor

Octagonal gold coin ( Mas) under the rule of Johor Sultan Alaudin Riayat
Shah 1 ( 1527-1564AD). This coin is heavily covered with patina. I
prefer to keep it this way rather than cleaning it away.

Similar coin was sold for SGD3000 ( USD2200) in Lot 189 in
the Collectibles Auction Asia (CAA) Auction 5/2015 held on 18 April 2015 at
Landmark Village Hotel, Singapore.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

This is a very rare "Batik Bertulis" / " Kain Arab" or Calligraphic
Batik. It is a square batik cloth made of cotton dyed in dark maroon/light brown with
Arabic inscriptions. The calligraphy almost illegible most likely
painted by illiterate makers or served talismanic purposes.

However I assume the writing on the background is similar to some
other kain which I have seen in the catalog. The inscriptions are :

Interesting to note this cloth has 4 Ottoman tughras around a central
flower like pattern. Michael Rogers, a curator for Khalili Collection
identified the tughras as the signs of the Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Hamid
II ( 1876-1918) only in the reversed side.
This piece was used predominantly as men's head cloth or "ikat kepala".
Another usage might be as ceremonial hanging or wrapper for a Quran.
In a similar Calligraphic batik depicted in The Message & The Monsoon Catalog, page 113, this batik were most often worn by Muslim Southeast Asian men as head cloths and possibly as ceremonial uses. The Quranic verses and prayers on the cloth are believed to have properties that would protect the wearer from sickness or injury.

This particular batik was acquired from Penang however not necessarily was produced there. Most
likely it was brought in from Java island.

There is a very similar batik from National Museum Malaysia dyed in blue which was made in Cerebon ( West Java) circa 1900s. According to Mohd Taib Osman in his book Islamic Civilization in the Malay World, after the establishment of Islamic rule in Cerebon from 16th Century onward, the testimony of faith has been expressed into batik making. Batik in the form of long shawl, head cloth and ceremonial hangings were decorated with Quranic inscriptions.

In the book of Crescent Moon : Islamic Art & Civilization in Southeast Asia, the history of the production of this cloth is discussed in lengthy by Robyn Maxwell. Though the production of textile with Islamic calligraphy started prior to 19th century, the calligraphy design on batik produced in Java between late 19th to early 20th century was at peak due to the accessibility of commercially woven cotton cloth.

Ceremonial or Calligraphic batik is very rare to find. In an auction at
Christie's, 3 similar batiks were sold at USD3358 under sale number
5682 dating them from late 19th century to early 20th century. Below is the linkBatik at auction

Below is the Tughra of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. I tried to match it with the Tughras on the cloth, though they have some resemblances they do not quite match confirming Michael Rogers remark i.e in reversed form.

The diplomatic relationship between Indonesia ( Aceh particularly) and Ottoman Empire started since 16th Century with the first Acehnese envoy sent by Sultan Alaudin Riayat Syah (1539–1571CE) confirming vassal status to Ottoman and requesting military support from Sultan Suleiman The Magnificient against the threatening Portugese. The last request for military support was beseeched in 1897 CE by Sultan Muhammad Daud Syah ( the 35th and the last Aceh Sultan) to Sultan Abdul Hamid II against the Dutch. Hence as a vassal state, we can expect so much Ottoman influences in Acehnese culture. This explains the Tughra in this batik bersurat.

Monday, September 14, 2015

This is a copper pitis from Palembang Sultanate.
This pitis was struck during the reign of Sultan Muhammad
Baharuddin (1778-1803CE)

ِِAbove is the inscription extracted from the coin
هذا فلوس في ملك فلمبغ سنه ٨ ٩ ١ ١
Hadha Falus Fi Malik Palembang sanah 1198.
This is the money of King of Palembang year 1198
Reverse is blank.
1198 AH is equivalent to 1783 CE.
It seems that this calligraphy is Thuluth in style.

The Palembang Sultanate emerged after the collapse of Majapahit Empire in 1550 CE. It was started by the son of the last ruler of Majapahit who converted to Islam and changed his name from Ario Dillah to Ario Abdillah.

This another pair of beautifully carved wooden doors. I purchased this door from a friend in Kuala Lumpur. This door was from a mansion in
Balik Pulau. On one panel, there was an Arabic inscription of year 1331 H
which is equivalent to 1911 CE. However my friend didnt purchase the
panel since it was none of his interest at that time and even before
selling these doors last July.
This door is beautifully carved in floral motives.

This set of door has a dimension of 76 x 16.5 inches. Check the other door onMalay Door

This is an old Ottoman era Kese or pouch beautifully embroidered in gold originally from Edirne. Edirne is used to be the capital city of Ottoman Empire.
The top segment ( the opening) embroidered in Arabic calligraphy as well as on the both bevels at the bottom. There is an indecipherable tughra at the middle of the pouch surrounded by floral motives.
This kese is used to keep tobacco. I believe what I have here is only one part of the kese. The back side should be the same design as the front one and I suspected it was removed and replaced with a black cloth. I could be wrong and welcome any opinions.
Let's us examine the inscriptions on this pouch.
The inscriptions on the neck of the pouch seems to be in reverse. Once I extracted the script in reverse, then it makes more sense.I could figure out some individual Arabic alphabets but not the whole phrase.

As for the second inscription on the side belly of the pouch, 2 phrases but the other one is in reverse. After skewing the script, below is the result. Though I couldn't decipher the phrase, I believe it is written in Ottoman Turkish due to an existence of 1 Arabic alphabet ك but with a dot above it that should give a sound "g".

Whereas the center of the pouch is embroidered with an indecipherable tughra.It was embroidered upside down. Below is the Tughra image after I flipped it over. Could it be Tughra of Sultan Abdul Hamid II? Below is the official Sultan Tughra for comparison.

I believe a Thuluth script was used for all the inscriptions due to smooth and round shape of the alphabets.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Indonesia, Pasai Sultanate situated north of Sumatera island. type gold
Mas of Sultan Ahmad Malik Az Zahir reigned from 1346-1383AD. This is a rare coin with a gold piece stuck on the reverse side of the coin.
Obv: AsSultan Al Adil
Rev: Ahmad Malik AzZahir

Pasai, also known
as Samudera and Samudera-Pasai sometimes called Samudera
Darussalam was a Muslim harbour kingdom on the north coast of Sumatra from the 13th to the 15th
centuries CE. It was believed the word Samudera derived from Samudra meaning
ocean in Sanskrit. According to Hikayat Raja-raja Pasai, it was said
Merah Silu saw an ant as big as a cat, he caught it and ate it and he named the
place Samandara. King Merah Silu later converted to Islam, known as Malik ul Salih, he was
the sultan in year 1267 CE.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

This is a tin coin from Kelantan Sultanate ( 1770-1882 CE).
Kelantan is a state of Malaysia located in the northeastern of
Peninsular of Malaysia. The name of Kelantan originated from the Malay
word Kilatan which means shiny/glittery. It is also known by its Arabic
honorific, Darul Naim ( Abode of Blessed).

The Sultanate of Kelantan was founded since the 15th century by Sultan
Iskandar Shah and later ruled by his son Sultan Mansur Shah till 1526
CE. The reign continues till today and the present Kelantan Sultan is
Sultan Muhammad V

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

This is an old Persian Brass case ( Qalamdan) which measures 320mm long 40mm in thickness. It is beautifully inlaid with silver in arabic inscriptions..
It is a rare findings and I saw it was sold in Ebay for about USD1000.

Monday, September 7, 2015

This is a manuscript handwritten in modern Armenian script. To be honest I dont have any clue what the content is. I acquired this manuscript together with my other Syriac Manuscripts from Diyarbakir.
I believe this is not a manuscript on Christianity. The way it was written as if it was a poetry manuscript. One of the visitors here has written to me confirming that this manuscript contains poems written in Armenian script but in Turkish language.There are few pages with some hand drawings of a guy in a uniform probably military attire. I welcome any comment on this manuscript.

These plates supposedly come in pair which are sewn onto both ends of a
bolster ( bantal peluk). However I only acquired one plate.
In Malay weddings, the bridal bed is decorated
including pillows and bolsters. For a royal wedding, gold plates are
used instead.
This plate is gold plated and typical Malay origin. This is due to the
fact that there are engravings of star and crescent symbolizing Islam among the floral & foliate
motives. Malay plates normally do not have any animal engravings due to
the Islamic tradition.
Similar Malay plates can be seen in this link :Malay Plates

Sunday, September 6, 2015

This is a bronze fals from the time of Al Adel Abu Bakr I of Ayyubid Caliphate 592-615AH ( 1196-1218 CE). From Zeno.ru, It is perfect match with item #97408. Harran Mint.The inscriptions were not so clear. I couldn't find any reference on this. Let me know if you have any idea.

Al-Adil I (Arabic: العادل‎, in full al-Malik al-Adil Sayf ad-Din Abu-Bakr Ahmed ibn Najm ad-Din Ayyub, Arabic: الملك العادل سيف الدين أبو بكر بن أيوب‎,‎ "Ahmed, son of Najm ad-Din Ayyub, father of Bakr, the King, the Just, Sword of the Faith"; 1145–1218) was an Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt and Syria of Kurdish descent. From his laqab or honorific title Sayf ad-Din ("Sword of Faith"), he was known to the Frankish Crusaders as Saphadin, a name by which he is still called in the Western world. A gifted and effective administrator and organizer,[1] Al-Adil provided crucial military and civilian support for the great campaigns of his brother Saladin
(an early example of a great minister of war). He was also a capable
general and strategist in his own right, and the foundation and
persistence of the Ayyubid state was as much his achievement as it was
Saladin's.
Al-Adil was a son of Najm ad-Din Ayyub, and a younger brother of Salah ad-Din Ayyubi. He was born in June 1145, possibly in Damascus. He first achieved distinction as an officer in Nur ad-Din Zengi's army during his uncle Shirkuh's third and final campaign in Egypt
(1168–1169); following Nur ad-Din's death in 1174, Al-Adil governed
Egypt on behalf of his brother Saladin and mobilized that country's vast
resources in support of his brother's campaigns in Syria and his war against the Crusaders (1175–1183). He was governor of Aleppo (1183–1186) but returned to administer Egypt during the Third Crusade (1186–1192); as governor of Saladin's northern provinces (1192–1193), he suppressed the revolt of 'Izz Al-Din of Mosul following Saladin's death (March 1193). On Saladin's death he was governor of Damascus.

Abdallah was a member of the Abbasid family, and uncle to the first two Abbasid caliphs, al-Saffah (reigned 749–754) and al-Mansur (r. 754–775).[1]
By early 749, the anti-Umayyad uprising that had begun under Abu Muslim in Khurasan had prevailed in the eastern lands of the Caliphate, and the Khurasani armies swept west across Persia to the borders of Iraq. In October 749, al-Saffah was proclaimed Caliph at Kufa, and quickly gained the acceptance of Abu Muslim and the Kufans, thereby forestalling an Alid
bid for control of the Revolution. To cement Abbasid control, al-Saffah
now appointed members of his own family to command the armies: his
brother, the future al-Mansur, was sent to lead the Siege of Wasit, while Abdallah was sent to confront the Umayyad caliph Marwan II in the Jazira.[2]
Thus Abdallah held the supreme command in the decisive Battle of the Zab, where the Abbasid forces defeated the last Umayyad Caliph, Marwan II (r. 744–750), and led the pursuit of the latter, first to Syria, where he captured the Umayyad capital, Damascus, and then to Palestine, forcing Marwan to flee to Egypt. His brother Salih followed Marwan to Egypt, where the Umayyad ruler was captured and executed.[1][3]

Friday, September 4, 2015

This is another very rare acquisition of a leather prayer mat from Somalia. Hundred years of age and been passed down though
generations. This prayer mat is made of leather and had been sewn
together from pieces.

The use of this skin prayer mat is very popular among the Sufis and
religious people especially in Somalia and Etiopia. In a book, Islam in
Etiopia written by J. Spencer Trimingham. he mentioned about the
activity of Tariqa or Sufi movements in Somalia and Etiopia especially
in 18th & 19th Century. During the initiation ritual between the
leader of the Tariqa movement ( Khalifa) and the novice, one of the
items that will be given to the new member is a Sijjada which is a piece
of skin prayer mat which he carries about on his shoulder.

In the book : The Mad Mullah of Somaliland by
Douglas Jardine, there is a mention of an outcast tribe in Somalia
especially Midgan that making a leather prayer by cutting it in the
shape of the mosque at Mecca.

From FAO website, there are a few goat species in
Somalia whom skins are made into prayer mat. Haraghe Highland is the
small size goat that has main color of plain non spotted white and some
with black and brown. The prayer mat is called
Sijaja.

Another species of goat is short-eared Somali (
Denghier) which has a medium size and widely used to make sleeping mats
and prayer mats. The color of the coat is mainly white 76 % with some
brown, black and grey.

The third specie is Long-eared Somali (
Galla/Melebo) which is bigger than short-eared Somali. The coat color is
almost completely white with tiny colors in brown, black and grey. The
skin is widely used as a sitting mat and prayer mat.
They are called Harek or Okedi in Somalian landuage.
In a writing to CNN, The author, Dr Cawo Abdi recollected her memory of
sitting on her father’s prayer mat made from goat skin somewhere in
central Somalia whom they belonged to Nomadic hamlets.Her father was a
Quranic teacher that teach
children from hamlet to hamlet.